Orlando or Houston

[knl 0]

I've been living in Florida for 7 years. 4 years of which have been in Tampa. I don't know what it's like to live in Orlando, but I can say a few things about Tampa and Florida in general. I like it here, but there are definately down falls.

The schools suck and I feel like that is all over Florida. My kids school is terrible and every year there is problems. I feel like I have to do the teachers job when the kids come home, because they are not being taught the work in class. The school system/teachers really make me angry!! Not to mention the young women teachers that keep having relations or whatever, with the young boys and girls. It makes me sick to hear about it and it scares me because I have young kids.

If you want to own a home, good luck finding homeowners insurance or one that you can afford. Last year my homeowners insurance wrote me to say they are no longer insuring homes in Florida. So it left me scrammbling around looking. I was lucky to find a company that I could afford, but it was only because I own a townhouse. Most the companies I called said no, we don't insure in Florida. The houses are expensive here also.

I don't see snakes and I've probably only saw 2 since I've lived here.

There are pedifiles/sicko's, but I am sure you'll find them in any major city and lots of them.

My opinion the jobs don't pay well here. Not sure if that is just Tampa, but I think it is.

Florida's rainy season is in the summer. Usually it rains every day in the summer, though it does not generally last all day, but it becomes very annoying.

The reason why I don't leave FL is probably the warm or should I say hot weather. It does get cold here in the winter, but not as cold as other places.

I hope someone will write about Houston, I'd like to hear what it is like there. My mom lives in Texas, but not near Houston.

[4theloveofhenry 8]

Thank you for this detailed bit on Florida. I really appreciate everyone taking the time out to respond with information and suggestions. I have decided to focus my attentions on Houston becuase of the cost of living and positive feedback from here and some other sites I have researched. Again thanx to everyone.

Hello, I have lived here in Florida for the past 15 years, I lived in Kissimmee for 12 which is far better than Orlando which is where I have lived for the past 3 years.

The schools in Orlando are awful, my kids are 15 16 17 , they were all A-B honor roll until moving here, its depressing

really there is nothing to do, we call it BOrlando, we've been to the museum that is here, its so touristy and expensive, when my husband gets here we will relocate

I stay here because I have worked for the same company for the past ten years,

there are lots of gangs, its been progressively getting worse, Orlando in some sort of poll, was named the Angriest City In America, pretty damn sad

I can imagine, there is nothing but heat, rain, humidity, work work and more work, if you want to own a house, you really need to have two jobs

and for kids there is nothing to do, Disney but really how often can you do that, its expensive, the city is clean, but downtown there's lots of homeless, its a nightmare, and get this you are not allowed to feed the homeless, imagine that. you have to have a business license to give them food

I've been to Houston my sister has lived there for the past twenty odd years, she loves it, it seems ok, but for me I am from New Jersey, I would rather be back in my home town of Union City or Hoboken, which are both so near Manhattan but less expensive

Good Luck to you

Kathleen

[Simply_Uno 1]

Good luck on wherever you decide to plant yourself .

Keep me posted once you get moved....I'm always up for a road trip

UNO

p.s. remember to put all things in prayer

[LovinLiberia 0]

Hey, this thread excited me! I'm a huge advocate for Houston and would encourage anyone to make a move here.

I have been living in Houston for about a year and half now. It is a GREAT CITY. It has kind of a professional feel to it and it is a fast city, but at the same time it is also low key. It offers the big city life at a small town price. I would recommend Houston to anyone. The winters are very mild compared to Cincinnati/Kentucky winters. This past winter I was fine with just wearing a light jacket. Houston has always been known to have horrible, dreadful summers but honestly, this is my second summer here and I have yet to see the horrible humidity that they speak of. Even my friends and co-workers have been telling me the summers have been mild recently.

Houston is huge and very expansive so having a good means of transportation is very important. Public transportation is almost non-existent and just be prepared to drive everywhere. Be sure to keep your car insurance current because they people around here have big flashy cars and love to drive like speed demons in them. There's always some sort of major accident. Speaking of driving, Houston has some of the worst traffic in the country and it would be beneficial to you if you could find schools, daycares, work, etc close to the area where you intend to live. Houston is so big that it is basically broken off into big chunks (or sub-cities). You have the NW side, SW side, West side, etc and all of them have their own hub areas.

There are many things to do in Houston and you will never run out of weekend activities. This past week there was a huge Colombian festival and there are MANY reggae, caribbean, and African festivals throughout the year. Houston is very diverse and there isn't really a Black, Hispanic, White section of town....ALL areas are mixed up. There is a district called Chinatown where you will find a lot of Asians and even the street signs in that area are written in Chinese. There are more than 22 malls here and you will find any and every store here. Any store, bank, mall, or public area you go into you will see different people and hear many different languages. With that said, there are many different ethnic restaurants and you will always find different foods available. We just went to an Afghan restaurant last week.

You will find some of the worst school districts here and some of the top school districts. The three top school districts to focus on are Klein Independent School District, Cypress Fairbanks ISD (my kids are in this one), and Katy ISD. If you get your children into any of those districts, then you can be sure they are getting a great education. Houston isn't very expensive at all and even at the height of the recent gas increases the gas pretty much hovered around $3.75. Before the big foreclosure mess, the houses were really cheap so now houses are even cheaper. A house that costs $110,000 will get you in a very decent middle class area. Some of the areas you might want to focus on are Cypress Fairbanks (Cy-Fair...this area is booming), Jersey Village ( a bit expensive, but older and very beautiful), and anywhere that is on the NW and West sides of town.

As state before, Houston has a HUGE African population and everyday I see all sorts of African flags plastered on cars. The African population is mainly concentrated on the SW side of town in the Bellaire and Alief areas. There are many many Nigerians here and there are several Nigerian churches, restaurants, nightclubs, and supermarkets on that side of town. The Nigerian associations are big here and your husband will definately have no trouble finding some of his people to hang with.

BTW, about jobs...it can be hard to find a job and it can be really easy. It really just depends on what area you are looking in. You have to remember that there are more than 4 million people here and we all need jobs so some jobs such as office work will have pretty steep competition. On the other hand, I know people who have gotten a job on the spot. There are definately a lot of job openings and the job market isn't lacking here. A good place to start is www.chron.com ...that is where most jobs are posted. It's the website of Houton's major newspaper. It took me about 4 months to find a permanant job here.

I could go on and on foreve and feel free to ask questions. I used to hang out in the Cinicinnati/KY area and it is definately a change of scenery, but if you are open minded then you will have no problem with coming to Houston. Houston was a good start for my husband because he got to see a lot of the big city events without being overwhelmed and he has even connected with a fairly large Liberian community.

[Simply_Uno 1]

Hey, this thread excited me! I'm a huge advocate for Houston and would encourage anyone to make a move here.

I have been living in Houston for about a year and half now. It is a GREAT CITY. It has kind of a professional feel to it and it is a fast city, but at the same time it is also low key. It offers the big city life at a small town price. I would recommend Houston to anyone. The winters are very mild compared to Cincinnati/Kentucky winters. This past winter I was fine with just wearing a light jacket. Houston has always been known to have horrible, dreadful summers but honestly, this is my second summer here and I have yet to see the horrible humidity that they speak of. Even my friends and co-workers have been telling me the summers have been mild recently.

Houston is huge and very expansive so having a good means of transportation is very important. Public transportation is almost non-existent and just be prepared to drive everywhere. Be sure to keep your car insurance current because they people around here have big flashy cars and love to drive like speed demons in them. There's always some sort of major accident. Speaking of driving, Houston has some of the worst traffic in the country and it would be beneficial to you if you could find schools, daycares, work, etc close to the area where you intend to live. Houston is so big that it is basically broken off into big chunks (or sub-cities). You have the NW side, SW side, West side, etc and all of them have their own hub areas.

There are many things to do in Houston and you will never run out of weekend activities. This past week there was a huge Colombian festival and there are MANY reggae, caribbean, and African festivals throughout the year. Houston is very diverse and there isn't really a Black, Hispanic, White section of town....ALL areas are mixed up. There is a district called Chinatown where you will find a lot of Asians and even the street signs in that area are written in Chinese. There are more than 22 malls here and you will find any and every store here. Any store, bank, mall, or public area you go into you will see different people and hear many different languages. With that said, there are many different ethnic restaurants and you will always find different foods available. We just went to an Afghan restaurant last week.

You will find some of the worst school districts here and some of the top school districts. The three top school districts to focus on are Klein Independent School District, Cypress Fairbanks ISD (my kids are in this one), and Katy ISD. If you get your children into any of those districts, then you can be sure they are getting a great education. Houston isn't very expensive at all and even at the height of the recent gas increases the gas pretty much hovered around $3.75. Before the big foreclosure mess, the houses were really cheap so now houses are even cheaper. A house that costs $110,000 will get you in a very decent middle class area. Some of the areas you might want to focus on are Cypress Fairbanks (Cy-Fair...this area is booming), Jersey Village ( a bit expensive, but older and very beautiful), and anywhere that is on the NW and West sides of town.

As state before, Houston has a HUGE African population and everyday I see all sorts of African flags plastered on cars. The African population is mainly concentrated on the SW side of town in the Bellaire and Alief areas. There are many many Nigerians here and there are several Nigerian churches, restaurants, nightclubs, and supermarkets on that side of town. The Nigerian associations are big here and your husband will definately have no trouble finding some of his people to hang with.

BTW, about jobs...it can be hard to find a job and it can be really easy. It really just depends on what area you are looking in. You have to remember that there are more than 4 million people here and we all need jobs so some jobs such as office work will have pretty steep competition. On the other hand, I know people who have gotten a job on the spot. There are definately a lot of job openings and the job market isn't lacking here. A good place to start is www.chron.com ...that is where most jobs are posted. It's the website of Houton's major newspaper. It took me about 4 months to find a permanant job here.

I could go on and on foreve and feel free to ask questions. I used to hang out in the Cinicinnati/KY area and it is definately a change of scenery, but if you are open minded then you will have no problem with coming to Houston. Houston was a good start for my husband because he got to see a lot of the big city events without being overwhelmed and he has even connected with a fairly large Liberian community.

hey LL,

you should get a job working for the chamber of commerce.

you'd make a wonderful houston, tx spokes person

[LovinLiberia 0]

Ahahahaha, I know, right??

[4theloveofhenry 8]

Wow I am ready to lmove today after that post. Thanx alot LL. Houston sounds like a perfect fit for me and my family. Me and my kids love Reggae and all kinds of diffrent culture and events. I am getting more excited everyday about the prospect of making Houston my new home. I am planning a trip out there next month to check out things so I will have to look you up LL. I hate Cinci/NK area and cannot wait to get out of here. Thanks again for this valuable information.

[LovinLiberia 0]

That's cool with me. I'll PM you. Yes, the cincy area is dreary and depressing to me, lol.

[Asante Maroon 0]

What did I tell you 4TheLoveOfHenry???? LL is ON POINT!!!! You go girl

LL u make me wanna re-think moving to H-Town!

Edited July 28, 2008 by Asante Maroon

[LovinLiberia 0]

ROFL, Please do, I would love to have you!

[Asante Maroon 0]

ROFL, Please do, I would love to have you!

Seriously thinkin about it again

[LovinLiberia 0]

pretty please with a cherry on top??? Edited July 28, 2008 by LovinLiberia

[Asante Maroon 0]

AWWWWWWWWW

[Ta Ta 1]

Hey, this thread excited me! I'm a huge advocate for Houston and would encourage anyone to make a move here.

I have been living in Houston for about a year and half now. It is a GREAT CITY. It has kind of a professional feel to it and it is a fast city, but at the same time it is also low key. It offers the big city life at a small town price. I would recommend Houston to anyone. The winters are very mild compared to Cincinnati/Kentucky winters. This past winter I was fine with just wearing a light jacket. Houston has always been known to have horrible, dreadful summers but honestly, this is my second summer here and I have yet to see the horrible humidity that they speak of. Even my friends and co-workers have been telling me the summers have been mild recently.

Houston is huge and very expansive so having a good means of transportation is very important. Public transportation is almost non-existent and just be prepared to drive everywhere. Be sure to keep your car insurance current because they people around here have big flashy cars and love to drive like speed demons in them. There's always some sort of major accident. Speaking of driving, Houston has some of the worst traffic in the country and it would be beneficial to you if you could find schools, daycares, work, etc close to the area where you intend to live. Houston is so big that it is basically broken off into big chunks (or sub-cities). You have the NW side, SW side, West side, etc and all of them have their own hub areas.

There are many things to do in Houston and you will never run out of weekend activities. This past week there was a huge Colombian festival and there are MANY reggae, caribbean, and African festivals throughout the year. Houston is very diverse and there isn't really a Black, Hispanic, White section of town....ALL areas are mixed up. There is a district called Chinatown where you will find a lot of Asians and even the street signs in that area are written in Chinese. There are more than 22 malls here and you will find any and every store here. Any store, bank, mall, or public area you go into you will see different people and hear many different languages. With that said, there are many different ethnic restaurants and you will always find different foods available. We just went to an Afghan restaurant last week.

You will find some of the worst school districts here and some of the top school districts. The three top school districts to focus on are Klein Independent School District, Cypress Fairbanks ISD (my kids are in this one), and Katy ISD. If you get your children into any of those districts, then you can be sure they are getting a great education. Houston isn't very expensive at all and even at the height of the recent gas increases the gas pretty much hovered around $3.75. Before the big foreclosure mess, the houses were really cheap so now houses are even cheaper. A house that costs $110,000 will get you in a very decent middle class area. Some of the areas you might want to focus on are Cypress Fairbanks (Cy-Fair...this area is booming), Jersey Village ( a bit expensive, but older and very beautiful), and anywhere that is on the NW and West sides of town.

As state before, Houston has a HUGE African population and everyday I see all sorts of African flags plastered on cars. The African population is mainly concentrated on the SW side of town in the Bellaire and Alief areas. There are many many Nigerians here and there are several Nigerian churches, restaurants, nightclubs, and supermarkets on that side of town. The Nigerian associations are big here and your husband will definately have no trouble finding some of his people to hang with.

BTW, about jobs...it can be hard to find a job and it can be really easy. It really just depends on what area you are looking in. You have to remember that there are more than 4 million people here and we all need jobs so some jobs such as office work will have pretty steep competition. On the other hand, I know people who have gotten a job on the spot. There are definately a lot of job openings and the job market isn't lacking here. A good place to start is www.chron.com ...that is where most jobs are posted. It's the website of Houton's major newspaper. It took me about 4 months to find a permanant job here.

I could go on and on foreve and feel free to ask questions. I used to hang out in the Cinicinnati/KY area and it is definately a change of scenery, but if you are open minded then you will have no problem with coming to Houston. Houston was a good start for my husband because he got to see a lot of the big city events without being overwhelmed and he has even connected with a fairly large Liberian community.

hey LL,

you should get a job working for the chamber of commerce.

you'd make a wonderful houston, tx spokes person

I second that. LL maybe tourism would be your thing ? You want to make us all move to Houston now.

[9jalover4life 0]

hey have you ever considered ATLANTA GEORGIA? this is also a very populated nigerian community with a lot of nigerian events yearly..we plan to relocate there from virginia beach, va where i live within a year of his arrival...i love ATL...its the dirty south!!!!! LOL